Wednesday, August 19, 2009

How To (Not) Add The Finishing Touch

Whose home out there is done, decorated, "finis"? Anyone? If you raised your hand, put it down and I'll pretend I didn't see. In my opinion, rooms should continue to evolve, just like their owners. Whether you add a bibelot to a mantelpiece or move the furniture around or merely tuck a favorite postcard onto a mirror, these small changes will keep your personal spaces feeling vibrant and soulful.

I know of a beautiful home that was decorated to the hilt about five years ago and since then, not an objet has been moved and not a personal touch has been added. I was there recently and while still decidedly elegant, it felt airless and oppressive, as if all the life had drained out of it.

Don't fret if your style keeps shifting or if a room in your house is still "finding itself"...umm hello, aren't we all on that journey ourselves? Ceaseless change is pretty much the modus operandi oflife. Are you restless by nature? Good. Do your enthusiasms metamorphose by the day? Even better. Interesting people never lose the itch to discover. They fully embrace the shifting nature of their passions and revel in new experiences, whether they be via books, friends or adventures. A room that reflects your particular fervor du jour will always feel alive.

(My fervor du jour is an amp in the living room for impromptu concerts)

So when you flip through all those resplendent homes in all those wonderful magazines, perfect tablescapes on every surface, each designer pillow plumped within an inch of its well-bred life, take a deep breath and don't freak out that your rooms aren't "done" yet.

i am so with you on this ... why would we want rome built in a day? then what? booooorrring ...our homes journey with us and reflect our transitions along the way ... and if our homes were 'done' ... would that mean we were 'done'?... egad! we live in a gambrel style heritage home that was quite stark when we moved in with just one child ... then we grew to three children ... and then the children grew and so have the accumulations! the decor is well-loved and well lived in and i love it so. and our door is always open.someday we will go back to more space and less drum sets, guitars and amps, motocross gear and computers ... being heritage, i often think of all the living that has happened here and often feel our house is smiling ... and it's not 'finis' ...not by a long shot ...thanks always lisa ~ cheerio for now,prairiegirl

Like the seasons, I love change and embrace every nuance. Like old friends, I enjoy rearranging and adding new friends to the mix. As always - your posts give such freshness to starting something long before it is finished.pve

I agree that our homes should change as we change. Not that total wholesale things we Americans are known for, but I prefer that "aging in place" look.Years ago I dubbed my study as my "Edward VII goes to Africa" look. You know, a full Victorian room that then has another generation that went around the world and stuffed all that other stuff in the same house. Not quite that bad, but certainly the spirit!

Much to my husband's dismay, no, a house is never really "done" so long as its occupants aren't themselves done. Why on earth would I want to plop down in my rocker and live here "as is" when I get so much pleasure from continuing to tweak and play?! Great post and pics. Thanks!

I do like a change at home. But I'm a bit useless at DIY so I just changed cushion covers, throws and bed sheets when I get bored with the colour scheme. Even some small changes around your living area can give you this different feeling. Also, one of the other changes I make is that I, at the same time, stop buying less magazines on interior decoration. I don't know why these beautiful houses in the magazines we buy somehow make your house looks insufficient. But still they are perfect for daydreaming or get cluttered on one's coffee table.

I remember going to a dinner party given by a woman who had just had her whole home "done" by a decorator. Her pride and joy was the living room. There were a group of us for dinner and we moved through the house enjoying what we were seeing until we got to the living room (or dead room as I called it). It was as if an invisible velvet rope had been installed - NO ONE would go in! We all just stood in the doorway and looked. It was picture-perfect and staged down to the long-stemmed silk red rose resting on the piano bench. That one room told me quite a bit about our hostess. More than she probably realized.